Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter
Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation
ततः सूतव्यसनिन विप्लुतं मां स भार्गव: । शरेणाभ्यहनद् गाढं विकृष्य बलवद्धनु:
tataḥ sūtavyasanin viplutaṃ māṃ sa bhārgavaḥ | śareṇābhyahanad gāḍhaṃ vikṛṣya balavaddhanuḥ ||
Dijo Bhishma: «Entonces, mientras yo estaba sacudido y afligido por la desgracia que había caído sobre mi auriga, aquel Bhārgava—Parashurama—tensó su poderoso arco hasta el límite y me hirió con fuerza con una flecha».
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights the tension between human vulnerability and warrior duty: even when one is personally shaken by loss, conflict driven by vows and martial codes may proceed without pause, raising ethical questions about compassion amid combat.
Bhīṣma narrates that, at a moment when he was distressed due to misfortune involving his charioteer, Paraśurāma (the Bhārgava) powerfully drew his bow and struck Bhīṣma with an arrow, intensifying their confrontation.